Disney Dining plan with virgin holidays

[PaulaSB12]

Hi Paula,

I booked my virgin package in May for next october (the week the brochure came out). I rang disney to try and book it directly from them and they said I would have had to have booked a package with them to do this. I should have done my maths first before booking an extortionate dining rate with virgin (compared to disney) and so got stung the £25 admin fee to have it removed. Oh well, you live and learn,

Claire xx

But how do you get it added on in the first place they are being so irritating about the whole thing.

 

[Miffy2003]

Paula, what an experience this has been!

I would guess it is possible that Virgin were offering it when Claire booked back in May whereas they are no longer offering it now you have come to book.


Cpould this be why you are having difficulties?

 

[PaulaSB12]

Paula, what an experience this has been!

I would guess it is possible that Virgin were offering it when Claire booked back in May whereas they are no longer offering it now you have come to book.


Cpould this be why you are having difficulties?

I don;t care if they don't want to do it. They are my travel agents I EXPECT them to fufill my requests or give me my money back. Hense I have written to Richard Branson himself to complain.

 

[princess jackson]

Hi,

We did the dinning plan back in april when it started, we had booked with Virgin holidays, and when i rang to add it the gentleman on the other end of the phone informed me that virgin will not be doing this as it is not value for money!!!!!!

So i changed my holiday for a flydrive, and booked my accomodation direct with disney (well travel agent rang disney and booked it with the dinning plan).

I have just returned from my last holiday (a few hours ago!!!!!!)

And i spoke to a lady how tried to book as a whole package, and was told you can not book it until 2006, so she did the same as us and booked seperatly.

Prices vary, we paid £20 a day, and saved loads and ate in some great restaurants, this time we had the DDE card which saved us 20% of our meals and alcohol.

How people can make sense, i am a little wrecked at the moment

 

[Tony Toon]

Does everyone in your party need to be on DDE? I can't see us being able to eat through all of that if it is compulsory to have one/person, but one between two would be good & sufficient!

Someone may have already pointed this out but you shouldn't confuse the DDE with the Disney Dining Plan. They are two completely different plans.

We, last year, used the DDE (Disney Dining Experience) card. Only one person is required to have a card in a party of 10 in order to get a 20% discount on table service dining. There are some restaurants excluded from this plan but these seemed to be very few and certainly did not affect any of our choices which included all the major hotels. Our party of four quickly reimbursed ourselves of the cost of the card in the first week and we will certainly be taking advantage of the DDE card next July. It was a great way to eat ourselves around WDW.

 

[Miffy2003]

I don;t care if they don't want to do it. They are my travel agents I EXPECT them to fufill my requests or give me my money back. Hense I have written to Richard Branson himself to complain.

It will depend on what is in the T&Cs though won't it.

I agree with you entirely they should fulfil your requests, but their argument is going to be, not if they don't offer it. Which I think is understandable.

Another option might be (if this is possible) to ask for it direct with Disney when you check in? I think this would be less money as well.

Good luck to you!

 

[PaulaSB12]

It will depend on what is in the T&Cs though won't it.

I agree with you entirely they should fulfil your requests, but their argument is going to be, not if they don't offer it. Which I think is understandable.

Another option might be (if this is possible) to ask for it direct with Disney when you check in? I think this would be less money as well.

Good luck to you!

I have just gone through the terms and conditions and it says nothing about refusing to buy items from disney through them. I have contacted Disney I CAN'T BOOK it direct it has to come from Virgin that is the problem, the arrogant sods must know this and are being totally naff hense my complaint to their boss. Now I am 100% positive that he will not see the letter addressed to the head office. the one to his home address, well I would prefer not to have to do this but have been forced by their actions. Next will be a letter to Disney as they adviertise Virgin as being the number 1 friend to disney. Some friend they will not sell a disney product to clients. My mother thinks that they probably wanted more profit than the 35% they where getting.

 

[Miffy2003]

Paula - you had made it loud and clear you could not book direct with Disney at this time. That is why I suggested seeing if you could do it with Disney when you have checked in.

I wish you luck getting it sorted out.

 

[Laurafoster]

As far as i was aware (and i may be wrong) to book the Disney dining package direct with Disney i thought you had to book a package - meaning park tickets and Disney Dining?


As for Virgin- yes it is fustrating that they are not offering it - however having worked in the travel industry if i remember correctly unless 2 companies have an official partnership (which would be stated in the T & C's) they do not legally have to offer everything that Disney do.

Paula, if you are still unhappy and think Virgin are in the wrong then prehaps contact ABTA or Citizens Advice - maybe they could help out.

Hope you get it all sorted.

 

[PaulaSB12]

Well as disney advertise virgin as their "number 1 best friend" and when you get their holiday dvd it comes with a virgin brochure it would seem that they obviously have some agreements. I am going to try and get the booking number that they have with disney to see if I can get it that way, but I am interested in hearing from virgin why they suddenly stopped selling the dining plan and why they will not help a client.

 

[Laurafoster]

they may have some agreements but it could just be a publicity thing not nessersarily an official partnership, and as several people have mentions they do not have to do everything a client requests (yes it would be nice if they did!) but it depends on the T&C's.

We must remember that at the end of the day Virgin are a business and if they were not making much profit out of it then they wouldnt keep doing it - not ideal but sometimes thats the way things work.

Paula i would recommend ringing/emailing abta and find out what your rights are, you may well be right and they have to offer you this, always worth double checking if your unhappy!

 

[PaulaSB12]

35% seems quite a reasonable profit to me. I am going to try and get the reservation number they have with disney to see if i can use this to be able to book the dining plan. In an age where holiday companies complain that they have more holidays than they are selling keeping the customer happy should be apriority not treating them like dirt.

 

[Kirstytwin]

Speak to or email disney after 3rd Jan 2006 and request.

Should be done automatically.

Kirsty